Cat Allergies
When a cat has allergies the substances-or allergens- that provoke a reaction are usually common in most environments and harmless to most animals. However, its immune system overreacts and begins to identify them as dangerous and her body tries to rid itself of these substances.
In the process she may show a variety of symptoms:-
a) Sneezing, coughing, wheezing if the cat has asthma.
b) Skin itching and scratching more.
c) Runny, itchy eyes.
* Itchy back or base of tail (most commonly seen in flea allergies).
* Itchy ears and ear infections.
f) Vomiting.
g) Diarrhoea
* Snoring caused by an inflamed throat.
i) Paw chewing and could be swollen.
Types of allergies?
Listed below are four known types of allergies in the cat:-
Contact – Pollen, Tree, grass, weed, mold, mildew and dust.
Flea – The result of a flea allergy will often be open soars or scabs on the skin, allowing secondary bacterial infection to begin. A flea allergy only requires the bite of a single flea to trigger intense itchiness for 2 to 3 weeks and itch-producing reaction can result even when the flea’s saliva is deposited in the skin.
Food – Cats are not likely to be born with food allergies but develop them over time so therefore may show up in cats at any age.
Inhalant – Cats can be allergic to all of the same inhaled allergens as us, pollens (can be seasonal), perfumes, dust etc.
How Can Cat Allergies Be Treated.
Contact – this may seem easy but it could be a flea collar, wool bedding, and tray litter so requires some detective work to find and remove the contact irritant.
Flea – frequent bathing can help immensely, or the use of a hypoallergenic shampoo, if this is not possible then your vet may prescribe steroids to block the allergic reaction. Either way a strict ongoing flea control is essential.
Food – testing is done with a hypoallergenic diet and the cat must eat this special diet exclusively for a minimum of eight weeks, preferably more, until her symptoms go away. It takes about eight weeks for all other food products to get out of the system. Once the symptoms have stopped you’ll begin to reintroduce old foods to see which ones might be causing the allergic reaction or your vet will recommend specific food.
Inhalant – Buy dust/scent free cat litter, clean bedding at least once a week and any other materials that gather dust. The itching may be relieved by use of steroids which block the allergic reactions and gives relief. Also, using a hypoallergenic shampoo can help and also then allows a lower strength steroid to be used. It may be the case that over time the cat’s immune system will see the allergy as less of a threat and reactions will become less severe.
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